Lady Gaga Gets Royal Performance, Miley Cyrus Tragedy, Green Does Big Band Version of Single

Morrissey Tosses Rowdy Fans, Shakira Sings "Santa Baby," Fall Out Boy Take A Break

New Bob Dylan Video, The Swell Season Live, Slayer/Megadeth Tour

UPDATE: King Khan & BBQ Miss St. Louis Gig, Face Possible Legal Trouble

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So wait, you meant to tell me these two gentleman may have been arrested on drug charges? Hold the phone...

















Arish "King" Khan and Mark "BBQ Show" Sultan have been making some news headlines this morning after not showing up to their gig at St. Louis' Off Broadway last night. As reported by the Riverfront Times' music blog A to Z, members of the band were nabbed in Hopkinsville, Kentucky on drug charges. The band is out on bail while their tour manager remains locked up. It has been confirmed that they will miss tonight's show in Lawrence, Kansas. Those Valley fans of the band know that The King Khan & BBQ Show are set to play The Rhythm Room come Monday. Just what this means for that particular show is yet to be determined. More information on this situation, including the status of their gig on Monday, will be reported as it becomes available.

UPDATE: Our friends at The Riverfront Times -- St. Louis' version of The Phoenix New Times -- have pieced together the events of last night on their music blog A to Z. It appears that the van driven by tour manager Kristin Klein was pulled over in Oak Grove, Kentucky, and Klein was nabbed for driving with a suspended license and possession of a controlled substance. She remains in Christian County Kentucky Jail on $3,000 bond. Head over to A to Z to find out all of the details of the events. Still no word on the band's Monday gig in Phoenix.

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This Just In: Brooklyn Has Own "Sound," Numerous Bands

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Brooklyn has become a mecca of sorts for indie rock in the past decade, with numerous new bands emerging from its brownstone-lined streets
​I was listening to Sirius XMU yesterday while driving with the air conditioning on, since it's a balmy November in the Valley. On came a song by new indie/psych rock band Bear in Heaven, "You Do You." I was enthralled by the song, not being bored as shit 30 seconds into as I am with most indie rock these days. I was instantly curious about this Bear in Heaven and where they were from. Upon further research, the band, of course, hails from Brooklyn. NYMag, like myself, has been keen on the ever-burgeoning scene coming out of Brooklyn. They just released a list -- Brooklyn Top 40 -- of songs from Brooklyn bands that "define the sound of right now." While the specific parameters of what constitutes a band being from Brooklyn proper are subjective, the list is still an impressive one, worthy of look and a few listens.

Steven Tyler Quits Aerosmith, New Animal Collective, Thom Yorke Hates Nukes

Arizona Apparently A Hotbed for Aspiring Yodelers

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Tiffany Jo doing her best Stevie Nicks impression.

Yahoo! is looking for a new voice to it's iconic YahooooOOOoooOOO and Arizonans seem to be cleaning up. Right now the competition is being won by a girl named Tiffany Jo Allen from "Tuscan" Arizona (which is very near "Tucson") and a localish guy named Carlo Sanchez from San Tan Valley (near Queen Creek) is also one of three finalists. Yes, that's right, out of three American finalists, two are from AZ.

Carlo is also getting some attention for his entry on Yahoo!'s new yodeling contest, though not all of it is good. Sanchez says he's a humble man: "Hi my name is Carlo. I couldn't resist making this just simple yahoo yodel, but once I felt the music this is what came out. I'm just a simple man, husband to a beautiful wife, father of three beautiful children and my family and God is the reason why I sing. So share this with your friends and family and help me get that platinum!"

He's got some lovers:

I love this man's voice! I hear his voice in my daily thoughts & in my dreams..he mezmorizes me to where I have to listen to him more and more! The woman yodeling in the lead of him cannot top this sultry voice! People get it right & vote for the one that makes you feel uplifted..I pray Carlo becomes the winner on Nov 15th as this man deserves the recognition owed to him! Your voice is a blessing from our Creator!

And some haters:

Sounds great, except...much like the other guy, this is a yodel contest, and your entry was nothing like yodeling. I am going to vote for the one that is actually yodeled, but stick with non-yodeling music. You've got some talent.

Me, I like the Tucsan girl (who appears to be something of a professional contest entrant) because, as the readers point out, she at least sorta yodels.

Pavement Set to Headline 2010 Sasquatch! Festival

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Pavement announced they will play a non-NYC US date in 2010 as they will headline the Sasquatch! Festival
​As others have to eloquently put it: holy shit, Pavement is headlining the 2010 Sasquatch! Festival!

The band announced that they were reuniting for 2010 not too long ago, yet their announced dates were either in NYC or abroad, leaving fans that  live pretty much anywhere else out in the dark. This Saturday brought the optimistic news that Pavement will headline the 2010 Sasquatch! Music Festival, held over Memorial Day Weekend at the Gorge Amphitheater in George, Washington. No word on what night the band will be playing, but expect whatever night that is to be packed to gills with eager fans. 3-day advance passes go on sale this Saturday at 10 AM PST, so if you want to plop down  $170 before the entire festival lineup is announced on February 16, then check out the festival's website. Could the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, which takes place about a month earlier, also be in the band's plans? Only time will tell. However, this recently announced Sasquatch! date sure is encouraging.

New Grizzly Bear Video "Ready, Able" Will Blow Your Mind

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Claymation has always lent itself brilliantly to music videos ("Sledgehammer, "Sober," "Hellbent"), but artist Allison Schulnik has used the art-form to create an absolute masterpiece
​The fine folks over at Stereogum have brought to my attention a new video for the Grizzly Bear song "Ready, Able." The Brooklyn band -- already enjoying a fantastic 2009 on the heels of their latest LP Vecaktimest -- have done it again, this time employing artist Allison Schulnik to create a brilliant, surreal claymation piece befitting of the song. The video evokes images of a woodland Fantasia with a Halo-esque spaceship and plastic, green army-men thrown in for good measure. Don't take my word for it, please enjoy the video after the jump.

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Kenny G and Weezer Collaborate, Plan to Conquer Earth

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Kenny G joined forces with seminal 90's rock band Weezer to create a truly...interesting take on the band's new song "I'm Your Daddy."
​Are you like me? Did you wake up today and think to yourself, "You know what Weezer needs? More soprano sax." Well get ready to get your mind blown and your pants rocked off. Kenny G, everyone's favorite musician to rag on, teamed up with Weezer to produce a unique take on the track "I'm Your Daddy," from the band's newest album Raditude. Bask in the glorious, resplendent video after the jump.

Rihanna Announces Contributors, New Hot Chip Album, Vice Party in NYC

Google Launches Fancy New Music Search

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Google has launched - albeit slowly - their new music search feature, making it easier to immediately hear an artist's music right away
Every wonder how many Google searches are music related? Two out of every 10 searches just so happen to be music related, you curious cat, you. Google, the internet behemoth, noticed this trend and figured they would spruce up their search function to easily satiate the widespread need for internet users to get their music fix, announcing their new music search feature yesterday afternoon on their Official Google Blog. Just hope that the band you are searching has a distinctly unique name not used in any other facet of popular culture or anywhere else, for that matter.

Jimmy Rollins in Old MC Hammer Video, Jackson Film a Hit, Nirvana Live at Reading Trailer

Insane Clown Posse Are A Big Business, No Pulp Reunion, New Ted Leo

Weezer with Lil Wayne MP3, Strokes Disagreeing on New Record, Gibbard and Farrar Play Kerouac

2010 Early Releases -- Yeasayer, Vampire Weekend -- Shaping Up Quite Well

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These fine young men call themselves Yeasayer and will have their sophomore album ready for February 2010
​Is it too early to look ahead to already announced albums with 2010 release dates? No, especially when those releases carry the clout of such bands as Vampire Weekend, Yeasayer and Arcade Fire. Vampire Weekend has already teased listeners with a track from their January 2010 LP Contra, "Horchata," while Yeasayer has announced the tracklist for their February release Odd Blood. These may pale in comparison to the recent news of a possible 2010 release for Quebecois rockers Arcade Fire.

Kanye West Not Dead Despite Massive Rumors/Speculation

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No, Kanye West is not dead, despite the widespread rumor from early Wednesday morning
​Sometimes you wake up, check out what's the buzz for the early day and something magical/bizarre/all too typical falls into your lap. Wednesday morning  just so happened to be the perfect example of one such occurrence, with Twitter and the rest of the internet flooded with the rumor of Kanye West's death. It was reported that the musician/professional interrupter/gay fish had perished in a car crash in Los Angeles, but that later turned out to be proven untrue. It was a missed opportunity, perhaps, but it is also a stern reminder that anything can be promoted as real with enough people perpetuating it through the internet, Twitter and other means.

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Jack White Receives Honor, Debates Bob Dylan and Britney Spears at Surprise Lecture

Jack White received an honorary patronage from Dublin's Trinity College's University Philosophical Society
Sunday night was an interesting night for Jack White. The multi-faceted musician, currently focusing his energy on his new band The Dead Weather, received and honorary patronage award from Trinity College's University Philosophical Society. At his acceptance ceremony, the singer/guitarist/drummer gave an impromptu lecture focusing on his musical beliefs, among other things. White's lecture is gaining attention -- in some people's minds (mine, especially) -- for a statement he made about musical authenticity, evoking Tom Waits and Bob Dylan in the same breath as Britney Spears.

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Lady Gaga Announces New "The Monster Ball" Tour, Screws Over PHX

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The pants-less one, Lady Gaga, has announced her new North American tour and Phoenix is nowhere to be found.

















Lady Gaga, that lightning rod of weirdness and pop music giant, has announced her new North American tour, appropriately dubbed "The Monster Ball." It was a month ago when she and professional interrupter/gay fish Kanye West had announced their "Fame Kills" tour, picking Phoenix as their first stop. Well, "Fame" was killed 2 weeks ago and the announcement that West needed to drop out of the limelight (no, really?) and keep his shit under wraps soon followed as an explanation as to why. Gaga, ever the entrepreneur, seized the moment for herself and put the word out that she would soldier on with her own tour.

Katy Perry and Rivers Cuomo Team Up, Simon Sues Starbucks, Creed Tickets for 75 Cents

New Weezer, Rob Halford, Pavement Reunion

New Moon Soundtrack Hits the Interwebs

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The New Moon Soundtrack features contributions from Grizzly Bear, Muse, Thom Yorke and Death Cab For Cutie
​All of the sudden, the soundtrack for the newest movie in the Twilight Saga, New Moon,  turned into an indie rock/hipster collective. Jump-started by the Death Cab For Cutie single "Equinox," the Paramores and Linkin Parks of the previous movie's soundtrack were replaced with the likes of Bon Iver, Thom Yorke, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Lykke Li. It was an intriguing move, one that elicited some serious indie-cred consideration when the final track list was announced. Over the weekend, sometime early Sunday morning, the soundtrack was leaked and everyone got their first taste of just what fruit this impressive collection would bear.

Guy Ritchie Calls Madonna "Retarded," New Live Nirvana Video, New Frightened Rabbit Songs

2008 Music Sales Less Than Encouraging For Artists

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You can apply this graph to a myriad of possibilities in today's economy, but let's stick to music sales for now
​The Future of Music Coalition Policy Summit took place this past Sunday through  Tuesday in Washington, D.C. and the news coming out of everything was music sales in 2008. Specifically, that of 115,000 albums released last year, only 110 sold more than 250,000 copies. This should not come as a surprise, but that number is incredibly dismal -- and it solidifies that artists will have to turn to other avenues to generate any decent revenue.

Christopher Cross Plays "Ride Like The Wind" on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

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As per Jimmy Fallon's request, Christopher Cross played his debut 1980 single "Ride Like The Wind" with the Roots
Last week on his show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, host Jimmy Fallon mentioned that he came down with a sore throat over his weekend and spent most of it listening to his iPod, which was filled with, as he described it, "AM Gold." One particular song Fallon listened to that weekend happened to be Christopher Cross' debut single, "Ride Like The Wind," a song that hit #2 on the Billboard charts back in 1980. Fallon mentioned his love for the song to some of the shows producers and, as luck would have it, they booked Cross for a special Monday themed episode. The theme? You guessed it, "Yacht Rock." Watch the fantastic performance after the jump.
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